Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and Its People Ed.by Joel Kiekintveld
Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and Its People brings together the voices of experienced practitioners who have spent decades living, serving, and learning within cities around the world. Rather than viewing urban spaces solely through the lens of challenge, this collaborative volume invites readers to see the city as a multifaceted gem—formed through pressure, diversity, and complexity, yet reflecting profound beauty and possibility.
Drawing from lived ministry experience across global and local contexts, contributors explore themes such as belonging, justice, race, homelessness, refugee welcome, neighborhood chaplaincy, and planetary urbanization. Each chapter offers a distinct perspective while sharing a common vision: integrating a love for God with a deep love for the city and its people.
Structured in three sections—In the City, The Spaces In Between, and In the Urbanized World—the book moves from personal and neighborhood-level engagement to broader global realities shaping urban life today. Through theological reflection, storytelling, and practical insight, Urban Gems challenges readers to adopt postures of humility, proximity, and mutuality in their engagement with diverse communities.
Rooted in friendship and forged through shared ministry experience, this volume is both a reflection on urban life and an invitation to discover the sacred possibilities within the complexity of cities. Ideal for ministry leaders, students, practitioners, and anyone seeking to understand God’s work in urban environments, Urban Gems offers fresh perspectives on faithfully living and serving in an increasingly urbanized world.
Contributions from:
Dr. Joel Kiekintveld (Editor)
Dr. Joel David Aguilar-Ramirez
Sparrow Etter- Carlson
Dena Nicolai
Kurt Rietema
Dr. Ron Ruthruff
Jenna Smith
Rev. Mark Van Andel
Dr. Joel Van Dyke
Dr. Kenneth Wallace Jr.
Out April 7 on SacraSage Press.
Online book launch on Zoom.